MILITARY COLLECTOR GROUP POST, JUNE 23/98 Index: NAVY RBM SERIES; Monroe Hamfest Report; From Jim Karlow MEMBERS WRITE; Racal U.S. Web Site, More AM-4306, More PP-4763, HUMOR; *********************************************** NAVY RBM SERIES; Good morning Dennis, Do you have anything in your E-archives about the RBM series of receivers? A MF,and SW version, along with 2 PS's and a control box arrived here yesterday (thanks to my swapmeet rooting!) How many of them were made, and about when, what they were used for originally, and whether they were any good for their intended application. I plan to restore them nonetheless (that's the joy in it for me) but would be nice to know what these old canoe anchors were all about. Someone modified the control box, but I believe I could de-mod it without too much problem. Know of any parts units? I could use a panel and a cabinet. (Salt damage, though the insides are nice and clean!) THanks !!! John Brewer --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John, We have never featured the RBM series in any of our post, and as is typical of Naval WW-II equipment, the historical documentation is very limited. But I'll tell you what I can. Basically the RBM series were the Navy's equivalent to the Signal Corp's BC-312 family of receivers. While these receivers where completely different both physically, and electronically, than their Signal Corps counterparts, they were used in the same basic capacities as general purpose ground tactical receivers, designed to be used with various transmitters dependant on the purpose of the system. The most noted transmitter to be used with the RBM was the TBW which is considered by many the ground version of a GO-9 transmitter though packaging was completely different. The RBM/TBW would have been ruffly the equivalent of the Signal Corps BC-312/BC-191 combination, and used in the same type applications. In my opinion the Navy set was vastly superior, and this is typical of most WW-II Navy versus Signal Corps equipments. And in this light an Army/Navy debate might be in order for a future series comparing the equipment of the two services and the qualities of each(the Army will fail!). Two receivers where required to cover the frequency range of 200-2000kc, and 2mc-20mc. And depending on the installation in question, one, the other, or both receivers might be used in a system. Power supply options where considerably more varied than their Signal Corps counterparts by virtue of the RBM's use of an external power supply, a host of types being available to allow operation from just about any AC or DC source that might be encountered, even the use of dry batteries were provided for. An extremely long list of accessories were also available to enhance the radios operation in just about any conceivable role. Six versions of the RBM's were built in very large quantities from 1939 till 1944, and while they are not that rare, they are not as common today as the Signal Corps types, with the RBM-5 being the most often found. The first known order was placed with Stromberg-Carlson in March 1939 at a cost of $1200 including spares. Successive orders with that company took place in February 1940(RBM-1), December 1941(RBM-2), and December 1942(RBM-4). The last contracts were filled by Westinghouse in September of 1943, and March of 1944(RBM-5). Dennis Starks; MILITARY RADIO COLLECTOR/HISTORIAN military-radio-guy@juno.com *********************************************** Monroe Hamfest Report; Dennis - I had the chance to go to the Monroe Hamfest this last Sunday, 21 June 1998. Met Mark Gluch there. We were on 51.0 FM. Mark had his PRC-68, I had my PRC-70 and the distinctive VRC-12 whip mounted on the Jimmy truck. I used a PRC-126 portable. Mark and I were both there cleaning out toys that were surplus to our needs. Weather was excellent, warm and sunny, and the turnout was also good. This was an older crowd and a local hamfest, many of the sellers looked like they were in there 60s through there 80's, but still active !! This may explain why lots of WW2 military gear showed up. An ART-13 Transmitter, in good used condition $ 30, BC-348-B, $ 50 with AC supply internal and some minor mods. ARC -5 transmitters and receivers, some with racks were 5 to 30 dollars . Base station versions of the UHF ARC type radios, with local tuning (spline) 200 -250 MHz. An unmodified R-392 in good shape was $ 100 and a R-1051 B was $ 100. Lots of old WW2 radio accessories at reasonable prices as well. High Impedence headsets 5-10 dollars, telegaph keys still in the $ 5 range. While there was some newer stuff, much of what I saw was older vintage and "classic" type equipment. Much of it was dusty as well, looking like it had been stored in basements for many years. I had lots of inquiries about old military communications equipment, from younger folks who were interested in playing around with the stuff. Buy the end of the 'fest, most of the gear found new homes. I came away with a pile of xtals for the SSTR1 and some antenna wire , but sadly, I was unable to find a power amplifier. (my present max output is slightly over 100 Watts with the URC-35 and about 200 watts with the GRC-106, I want to get to a KW at some point, to make up for not having the big tower and beam. Jim Karlow KA8TUR ed) Now that was a Hamfest!! *********************************************** MEMBERS WRITE; Racal U.S. Web Site, Racal home page is http://home.racal.com/index.htm hope this helps anyone I have heard from a reliable source that you can get info from them direct using this web page havent myself but its worth a try Carl ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More AM-4306, Australian Army apparently trialed these with the PRC-25's back in the sixties. The AM-4306 had it's own battery box (battery was BA-801) attached, to which the 25 (or 77) minus it's battery box could be attached. Made by Avco - Output power was 20 Watts nominal. I believe in the late sixties, a fair quantity of these were being sold by a surplus dealer in Melbourne new in boxes which seems to indicate that the army did not consider them successful. Perhaps because of the current draw of 3 amps at 24 volts plus the 3 and 15 volts required for the PRC-25, used up batteries fairly quickly. The manual says the battery life was 15 hours with a 9 to 1 rx/tx ratio. TM 11-4820-566-12 was the Ops & Maintenence manual and TM 11-4820-566-35 was the Tech. Manual. I have one of these attached to a PRC-25 in my collection. -- Dave Prince VK4KDP Brisbane, Queensland, Australia davprin@gil.com.au http://www.home.gil.com.au/~davprin ed) in any case, it's another item I ain't got, and now that I know about it, that ain't acceptable!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis and the Group; 51.60 sounds like an OK choice for a freq to be used by those of us with military FM radios (and ham licenses). I set my VRC-12 to listen on 51.60 and heard buzz from TV 2 on a nearby mountain, nothing serious that "new squelch" (150 Hz tone squelch) can't take care of. In a week or so my 28 V Astron P/S arrives so I'll be able to leave the radio on in my commshop while there weekdays and weekends. Jay Coote, W6CJ Los Angeles ed) I still aint hear'd squat! Got an RT-68, PRC-68, PRC-126, URC-773, and a scanner all standing watch, but still nothin! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More PP-4763, I power my GRC-19 (R-392+T-195B) with one. It works fine, and the transmitter's blowers completely drown out that annoying fan in the power supply. :-) The supply doesn't break a sweat feeding about 32A to the radios. I bolted some casters to a scrap of heavy plywood, and then bolted the supply to that. Makes it a lot easier to move around. If you want to use one, keep in mind that there's no current limiting (other than the AC breaker), so beware of things that suck a huge inrush current (like a T-195 with dynamotor supplies). My T-195B has the solid-state supplies, so it's not a problem for me. Also note that the PP-4763A can be wired for 115VAC or 230VAC and has the big three-pin plug used by some green radios on the back, but the plain PP-4763 only runs on 115VAC and lacks the plug. Just thought I should mention that, because I remember reading on the Boatanchor list about a guy in Australia who ordered one of these units (paid a fortune in shipping!) and got the plain model, which wasn't too happy with the 220V line voltage down there. Beware! -- Mark J. Blair, KE6MYK PGP public key available from http://pgp.ai.mit.edu/ ed) I too bolted some casters to mine before putting it where it was to be used. I was unaware of the difference in the "A" models. The supply can be used with no trouble on 100w class equipment using dynomotors(as much as 135amp surge current) and the details can be found in our Backmail. The poor sole in Aussie Land was Steve Hill, I think he has solved the problem. *********************************************** HUMOR; THE DRUG WOMEN LOVE TO HATE Diary Of A Mad Viagra Housewife: Dear Diary: Day 1 Just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with not much to celebrate. When it came time to reenact our wedding night, HE locked himself in the bathroom and cried. Day 2 Today he says he has a big secret to tell me. He's impotent, he says, and he wants me to be the first to know. Why doesn't he tell me something I DON'T know! I mean, gimme a break. He's been dysfunctional for so long, he even WALKS with a limp. Day 3 This marriage is in trouble. A woman has needs. Yesterday, I saw a picture of the Washington Monument and burst into tears. Day 4 A miracle has happened! There's a new drug on the market that will fix his "problem." It's called Viagra. I told him that if he takes Viagra, things will be just like they were on our wedding night. He said, "This time, I'd rather not have your mother join us." (I think this will work. I replaced his Prosaic with the Viagra, hoping to lift something other than his mood.) Day 7 This Viagra thing has gone to his head. (No pun intended). Yesterday, at Burger King, the manager asked me if I'd like a Whopper. He thought they were talking about him. GET OVER YOURSELF! Not everything is about you! Day 8 I think he took too many over the weekend. Yesterday, instead of mowing the lawn, he was using his new friend as a weed wacker. Day 10 Okay, I admit it. I'm hiding. I mean, a girl can only take so much. And to make matters worse, he's washing the Viagra down with Hard Cider! The photo of Janet Reno isn't working. What am I gonna do? Day 11 The side effects are starting to get to him. Everything is turning blue. The other day, we were watching Kenneth Branaugh in Hamlet and he thought it was The Smurfs Do Denmark. Day 12 I'm basically being drilled to death. It's like going out with Black and Decker. Day 13 I wish he was gay. I bought 400 Liza Minelli albums and I keep saying "fabulous" and still he keeps coming after me! Day 14 Now I know how Saddam Hussein's wife feels. Every time I shut my eyes, there's a sneak attack! It's like going to bed with a scud missle. Let's hope he's like President Bush and pulls out in 100 days. Day 15 I've done everything to turn him off. Nothing is working. I even started dressing like a nun. Now he tells me sister Wendy revs his motor. Day 16 I may just have to kill him. Then he'll go out the way he wants to: stiff. With my luck, I won't be able to close the casket. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- One day Billy Bob goes to town wearing nothing but his gun belt and boots. The sheriff spots him and asks, "What the hell are you doing walking around town dressed like that?" B.B. replies, "Well sheriff, it's a long story. Me and Mary Lou was down on the farm and we started a-cuddlin'. Mary Lou said we should go in the barn and we did. Inside the barn we started a-kissin' and a-cuddlin' and things got pretty hot and heavy. Well, Mary Lou said we should go up on the hill. So we did. Up on the hill we started a-kissin' and a-cuddlin' and then, all of a sudden, Mary Lou up and took off all her clothes and said I should take off mine, too. So I took off all my clothes, 'cept for my gun belt and my boots. Mary Lou lay on the ground and opened her legs and then, for some strange reason she said, "Billy Bob, go to town!" ---------------------------------------------------------- HIM: "Why can't I tell when you have an orgasm?" HER: "Because you're never home when it happens." Q: Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring and good-looking? A: Because all those men already have boyfriends. The three words most hated by men during sex: "Are you done? " Three words women hate to hear when having sex... "Honey, I'm home!" Did you hear about the new blonde paint? It's not real bright, but it's cheap, and spreads easy. Q: What's the difference between Pee-wee Herman and O.J.? A: It only took 12 jerks to get O.J. off. Q: What is another term for lesbian? A: Vagitarian Q: If the dove is the bird of peace, what is the bird of true love? A: The swallow Q: What's a blonde's favorite nursery rhyme? A: Humpme Dumpme Q: What do you call a mushroom with a 12 inch stem? A: A fungi to be with. A beautiful voluptious woman went to a gynecologist. The doctor took one loook at this woman and all his professionalism went out the window. He immediately told her to undress. After she had disrobed the doctor began to stroke her thigh. Doing so, he asked her, "Do you know what I'm doing?" "Yes," she replied your checking for any abrasions or dermatological abnormalities." "That is right," said the doctor. He then began to fondle her breasts. "Do you know what I'm doing now?" he asked. "Yes," the woman said, "you're checking for any lumps or breast cancer." "Correct,"replied the shady doctor. Finally, he mounted his patient and started having sexual intercourse with her. He asked, "Do you know what I'm doing now?" "Yes," she said. "Your getting herpes; which is why I came here in the first place. Q: What's the new O.J. Simpson web site address? A: Slash slash backslash escape. Q: Why can't Miss Piggy count to 100? A: Because every time she gets to 69 she gets a frog in her throat. Q: How do you know when a woman is about to say something intelligent? A: When she starts her sentence with, "A man once told me...." Q: What's the best thing about having Alzheimer's? A: You get to meet new people every day! ---------------------------------------------------------------- A man walked into the ladies department of a Macy's, one of the largest department store chains. He shyly walked up to the woman behind the counter and said. "I'd like to buy a bra for my wife" "What type of bra?" asked the clerk. "Type?" inquires the man "There is more than one type?" "Look Around," said the saleslady, as she showed a sea of bras in every shape, size, color and material. "Actually, even with all of this variety, there are really only three types of bras," replied the salesclerk. Confused, the man asked what were the types. The saleslady replied "The Catholic type, the Salvation Army type, and the Baptist type. Which one do you need?" Still confused the man asked "What is the difference between them?" The lady responded "It is all really quite simple. The Catholic type supports the masses, the Salvation Army type lifts up the fallen, and the Baptist type makes mountains out of mole hills. --------------------------------------- A married couple was in a terrible accident where the woman's face was severely burned. The doctor told the husband that they couldn't graft any skin from her body because she was too skinny. So the husband offered to donate some of his own skin. However, the only skin on his body that the doctor felt was suitable would have to come from his buttocks. The husband and wife agreed that they would tell no one about where the skin came from, and requested that the doctor also honor their secret. After all, this was a very delicate matter. After the surgery was completed, everyone was astounded at the woman's new beauty. She looked more beautiful than she ever had before! All her friends and relatives just went on and on about her youthful beauty! One day, she was alone with her husband, and she was overcome with emotion at his sacrifice. She said, "Dear, I just want to thank you for everything you did for me. There is no way I could ever repay you." "My darling," he replied, "think nothing of it. I get all the thanks I need every time I see your mother kiss you on the cheek." --------------------------------------------- Top Twenty Signs You're from New York 1. You say "the city" and expect everyone to know that this means Manhattan. 2. You secretly envy cabbies for their driving skill. 3. You have never been to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. 4. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park at 3:30 on the Friday before a weekend, but can't find Wisconsin on a map. 5. Hookers and the homeless are invisible. 6. The subway makes sense. 7. The subway should never be called anything prissy, like the Metro. 8. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multilingual. 9. You think $7.00 to cross a bridge is a fair price. 10.You've considered stabbing someone just for saying "The Big Apple". 11.Your door has more than three locks. 12.You go to a hockey game for the fighting. In the stands. To participate. 13.Your favorite movie has DeNiro in it. 14.The most frequently used part of your car is the horn. 15.You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression. 16.You call an 8' x 10' plot of patchy grass a yard. 17.You complain about having to mow it. 18.You are a skee-ball juggernaut. 19.You consider Westchester "Upstate". 20.You cried the day Ed Koch took over for Judge Wapner ------------------------------------------------- 5 Worst Things About Being A Penis 1. You Have a Bald Head 2. You Have a Hole in your Head 3. Your Roommates are Nuts 4. Your Neighbor is an Asshole 5. When You Get Excited, You Throw Up and Pass Out!!!!! ------------------------------------------------- Sadie's huband passed away. Her daughter told her to go out with other people to keep herself busy, but she did not want to. After a long period of time, she decided to go out and meet other people. She finally met a man about her age in the sixties. They had a good time together. Finally he asked her if she would like to go to the Catskills for the weekend. She agreed. That night in the room she got undressed and was naked except for black panties. When he came in he asked her what the black panties were for. She told him from the waist up he could do what ever he wanted, but down there she was still in mourning. Then he went in to get undressed and came out wearing a black condom. She asked him what that was for. He said, "I am going to pay a shiva call." *********************************************** (The preceding was a product of the"Military Collector Group Post", an international email magazine dedicated to the preservation of history and the equipment that made it. Unlimited circulation of this material is authorized so long as the proper credits to the original authors, and publisher or this group are included. For more information conserning this group contact Dennis Starks at, military-radio-guy@juno.com) ***********************************************